A Love so pure
by Twi-Vamp
Summary: Ash left over a year ago and Mary-Lynette is starting to give up hope. After a year of waiting for phone calls and letters that never came what will happen when her knight in shining armour turns up unexpectedly? AshxMare
1. Chapter 1

Mary Lynette stretched and rose from the rock, rubbing her hands together to try and generate some warmth. She shivered as she made her way back down the hill in the dark, pulling her jumper sleeves down over her frozen fingers. She hadn't brought her telescope or binoculars with her tonight, she had just wanted some time to herself, to think, and even the stars were distracting at the moment.

She sighed as she slid into her shiny secondhand mini-cooper. It had been a birthday present from Rowan, Kestrel and Jade, of course Mary Lynette had tried to object and tell them that it was too much money to spend on her but they had swept the complaints aside and justified their actions by telling her it was a thank you present for everything she had done for them. And, after all, they were family now.

She pulled into the driveway and silently made her way up the stairs, changing into the sweats and tank top she usually slept in and sweeping her thick hair back into a ponytail.

She sat on her bed and flicked through a magazine for a few seconds, willing herself to fall asleep, but realizing after a while that sleep would be impossible. Sighing she got up again, feeling a lot like a lost schoolchild, left behind on a fieldtrip with no idea where to go. Of course, she lived here, had done all her life, and had been perfectly content up until last summer, so there was no reason for her to be unhappy, she told herself. She tried to focus on the good things in life as she pulled a blanket down from the top of the laundry cupboard and wrapped it around herself as she entered into the night air, sitting on the hard wooden bench on her back porch.

_Stop being so ungrateful_, she told herself sternly, as an image flashed into her mind, showing her all the reasons she had to be happy; her brother, hand entwined with Jades, Kestrel and Rowan stood beside her and her father and Claudine next to Mark, everyone smiling with the stars spread above them like a biblical painting, and she was sat in front of them all, smiling placidly.

But it was empty, because behind their picture of happiness and contentment was a blonde figure, his face hidden by shadows, glorious and dark. And alone.

And the image shifted before her eyes, melding and contorting into something different, the same image, but with Mary Lynette standing, in the arms of the blonde figure, and they were both beaming at each other, eyes locked as though there were no-one else in the world.

_I miss him._ Mary Lynette thought to herself miserably, and there's nothing I can do to bring him back.

She felt the tears threaten to spill over and wiped the back of her hand across her eyes ferociously. _I will not cry_ she ordered herself, even as the traitorous drops made lines down her cheeks.

_I miss him so __**much**_.

It was meant to get better, that she was sure of. Everyone said that time made it easier. Sure she was okay, maybe even _content_ at times, but she couldn't be happy without him, not without Ash.

It had been 13 months since he had left, 9 since anyone had heard anything. She wasn't the only one that was worried, but whenever she voiced her concerns Rowan always told her that Ash had been in worse trouble before and that he could take care of himself. None of the sisters ever elaborated on what that trouble usually was and Mary Lynette wasn't sure if she was glad for that or not. But he was meant to come back, he had promised, she had been counting down the days. She couldn't wait to see him again, if he came back, and even then, if he did come back, he might not stay; might decide that there were more interesting things or people out there, might decide that he didn't want to be tied to a dead place like Briar Creek or he might just realize that he had freedom without her.

When the tears had finally stopped she stayed sitting, gathering the blanket closer around herself and staring into the bushes at the back of the garden, not really seeing the darkened trees, living in a world where everyone was happy, allowing herself a rare moment to fantasize. Re-visiting the best days of her life, the days when she had been with Ash, even though they hadn't known they were soul-mates.

She knew, by some basic instinct, that she still wouldn't be able to sleep, so she stayed outside, at one with the night and the stars, and yet still not seeming to fit in.

As the time crept slowly towards the witching hour, Mary Lynette heard a sound from inside the house. She turned just as her brother crept out of the back door, focusing on keeping the door from slamming or creaking and therefore not seeing her until he turned around.

"Mare? Jeez, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" he whispered, smiling sheepishly at being caught sneaking out.

"I would ask you where you were going but it is kinda obvious" she made an effort to grin at him and motioned with her head to continue "Go on, I won't tell if you don't"

"Thanks Mare!" Mark bounded down the steps like an overexcited puppy and disappeared off into the darkness.

A little while later, just long enough for Mark to have gotten to Jade and told someone where she was, Mary Lynette had a visitor.

"Mary Lynette? You okay?" Rowan appeared out of the shadows like a fallen angel and went to sit quietly beside her best friend. Rowan put her arm around her and Mary Lynette leant her head against her shoulder.

"I know it's hard" Rowan whispered, rubbing Mary Lynette's arm soothingly.

"I'm fine" she whispered, straightening up and trying to regain her composure, not wanting to show just how much Ash had changed her. She had to be stronger.

"I'm sorry, Mary Lynette. I can't tell you when he's going to come back" she looked towards the ground, not meeting her friends gaze. "I can't ring dad incase he finds a way to make us come back. I'm sorry."

"No its okay" Mary Lynette smiled weakly again "It's not your fault, I'm just worried"

"I know" Rowan hugged her "We all are, but don't worry, Ash knows how to take care of himself." Rowan felt Mary Lynette's head move as she nodded in agreement.

Rowan rose to her feet, agilely pulling away from the bench where Mary Lynette stood alone.

"Are you going to be okay?" Mary Lynette knew that there was a double meaning in her words but she nodded anyway.

"I'll be alright" another weak smile and Rowan nodded as though she could see straight through her.

"Okay then, you know where we are if you need anything" She turned to leave, then turned back towards the darkened porch, meeting Mary Lynette's gaze.

"I really am sorry I cant do anything. But, just don't get your hopes up, I'm not saying he hasn't changed but…"

"Yeah…" Mary Lynette trailed off as Rowan strode silently into the darkness.

The next morning, tired and feeling worn down, Mary Lynette made her way over to the old farmhouse.

"Mary Lynette!" Jade released Marks hand and flew gracefully down the steps, long hair drifting behind her, giving her an even more ethereal quality than usual.

"Jade" she hugged her best friend casually and realized how much she had missed this house. She had been avoiding it.

"Mark said you came to help paint the house" Jades smile was genuine as she led Mary Lynette gently into the house.

"Yeah, I thought you could do with a hand" Mary Lynette was only half lying, of course she wanted to help her family, but she also wanted to distract herself, and maybe speak with them about Ash.

"Everything's ready, we were thinking we should start on the back…"

The morning quickly faded into afternoon and they worked quickly, and as they did Mary Lynette found herself relaxing, feeling more at ease than she had in months. She found herself joining in the idle chatter and joking as they all took a break in the mid-afternoon heat.

They were interrupted by Kestrels cell ringing.

"Hello?" she asked as soon as the phone was at her ear; there weren't many people that would be ringing any of the girls unless it was an emergency, and everyone stopped their own conversations to listen.

"What?!...What so you think-…No-…wait…no, _you_ listen…eurgh, whatever" she hung up, glaring at the phone as she snapped it shut.

"Excuse us a second" she spoke to Mary Lynette and Mark as she met Jade and Rowans gaze, the three sisters stood silently and made their way into the house.

"I wonder what that was about" Mark asked his sister, toying with his lemonade glass.

"I have no idea" Mary Lynette said quietly, watching the door for any sign that the secretive conversation was finished and that she would be clued in on what was going on.

Kestrel, Rowan and Jade appeared again a few minutes later, all wearing masks of varying serenity, obviously, Mary Lynette thought, keeping something hidden.

"What's going on?" Mary Lynette asked cautiously, hoping that calm Rowan would explain and not the ever ferocious Kestrel, who, despite always being well-mannered towards Mary Lynette, she felt didn't like her.

"Don't worry about it, its nothing important" Mark and Mary Lynette exchanged a curious, disbelieving look before letting the subject drop.

It was only later on, when the job was done and Mary Lynette was sat with Jade and Mark in the living room, Kestrel and Rowan in the kitchen, that she realized they had been keeping something important from her.

Jade and Mark were cuddling on the sofa, gazing into each others eyes in a moment that felt so private that Mary Lynette felt she was intruding just being in the same room.

She got up and left as silently as possible, trying to give the couple some space and deciding she would go find Rowan and Kestrel. She walked down the hall and was about to walk into the kitchen when she heard raised voices, sounding agitated.

"Well what has he done for her? Other than leaving her hanging for months, leaving us all hanging without so much as a word-"

"I know but she has a right to know, if he wants to talk to her then-"

"It will never work. It's breaking the law for one, and do you honestly believe what he says about-"

"I do. I trust him now, I honestly believe that he's changed for the better" Mary Lynette could tell that it was Rowan speaking, now that they had lowered their voices. And she knew what they were talking about; as she put two and two together she realized with a jolt that the phone call was connected, and that they were talking about her and Ash.

"How do you know? The last thing I heard Ash was enjoying himself with some bimbo gold digger in Vegas, not even lamia."

"That might not be true. You don't know-"

"But I do, Thea said, and she wouldn't make that sort of thing up. He's back to his old games, a new girl each week."

Her head was spinning as Mary Lynette ran back down the hall and wrenched open the front door, not caring that it slammed, not even waiting to see if she was being followed or if Rowan and Kestrel had noticed her presence.

_Ash was with someone else.__ Of course._ Mary Lynette scolded herself, trying to hold off the hurt and failing miserably _Of course he found someone else, you didn't really expect him to change for __**you,**__ did you? You didn't honestly believe in all that fairytale, slaying of dragons and knight in shining armor stuff, did you? He's a __**vampire**__ for christs sake, he can do __**much**__ better than you…_

Mary Lynette found herself wandering down the dirt road, tears rolling slowly down her cheeks, wondering why Ash hadn't even called her. _Coward_. He couldn't even tell her he wasn't interested anymore, or maybe he just forgot about her. She should never have let him go, heck she should never have even got involved in the first place. She found herself walking through the forest in the cool night air, usually the clear evening and smell of pine needles would have soothed her, but now everything seemed magnified, the noises were pressing down on her, sucking her under a cloak of despair.

She had been waiting for him for over a year. She had thought he'd changed. She loved him. She had been foolish enough to believe in fairytale endings and now she was on her own. She was alone and she could never be happy without him. All the thoughts whirled around her head, over and over.

After a few hours of aimless wandering, Mary Lynette found herself back at the farmhouse, numb and exhausted both at the same time.

Rowan sprinted lithely down the steps, enveloping Mary Lynette in a tight yet gentle hug "I'm so sorry. I should have told you before, it wasn't fair for you to find out that way"

She pulled away and looked Mary Lynette in the eyes before apologizing again.

"It's okay, Rowan. Really." She tried to smile but it felt wrong on her face so she just let it fall back into whichever expression she had been wearing before. Which was a mistake.

"Come on, lets get you warmed up, its freezing out here" Rowan regarded her with cautious eyes, as though she were worried she would break down any second.

Mary Lynette let herself be steered into the house and listened obediently as Kestrel and Jade both apologized, before telling them not to worry. She quietly pulled Rowan aside a little later and asked her if her brother was coming back, and if he'd really been with another girl. Rowan didn't even need to open her mouth, Mary Lynette could read the answer in her eyes. She nodded once and turned her face away as Rowan embraced her again and mumbled for what seemed the hundredth time that day that she was sorry as Mary Lynette told her, again, that it wasn't her fault.

When they all finally returned to the living room Mary Lynette soon felt herself falling into trouble dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

Ash drove to the small farmhouse, pushing the small car to ridiculous limits in his haste. He was eager to get back, to prove to his fair lady that he was a worthy knight, that he had slain his dragons, just for her. For Mary Lynette.

The last few months had been hell, he had been wandering from state to state, trying to lure Will as far away from Briar Creek as possible. The kid just wouldn't give up. He was a decendant of Lily Redfern, who had changed him not long after Quinn had been changed by Hunter, and in Quinns absence had taken over Quinns place as rogue law-enforcer. And because Quinn had told Will all about Ash's situation before he dissapeared (only to become a daybreaker- not that the rest of the nightworld knew that), Will had automatically felt he needed to check up on him.

He had somehow managed to find out that Ash's sisters were still living there, and had confronted him about it. When Ash had explained that he hadn't actually murdered his sisters the only thing that stopped Will from returning to Briar Creek was the assurance that the Elders had known about it and if not approved, at least understood.

Which was, of course, entirely untrue, only their father and Ash knew the whereabouts of Rowan, Kestrel and Jade; as far as the rest of the Night World was concerned, no-one, neither made-vampire nor lamia nor any other kind of creature, knew anything about their whereabouts.

Ash grinned to himself, pleased that he had finally managed to loose Will, leading him on a wild goose chase around Vegas, making it appear that Ash was up to his old antics and was not about to jet off to Briar Creek and that he was not up to something. Will had got bored of following him eventually, just as Ash knew he would.

Ash had waited until he was sure that Will wouldn't follow before setting off as soon as possible for Briar Creek.

He would have left sooner if there hadn't been even the possibility of putting Mary Lynette's life in danger. But he was here now, and soon he would be able to see her. Yes, he felt awful that he hadn't called her, and probably caused her and his sisters, not entirely unjustified, worry. But he had done it for their own good, or rather for _hers_.

It would have been all too easy for Will or any other night person to trace the call and track Mary Lynette down, and that was unthinkable. Will was as rutless as Quinn had been when it came to upholding Night World law, and it wouldn't take him long to put two and two together.

Ash pulled into view of the small house his sisters occupied just as it was getting dark. It had been over a year since he was last here, but the only thing that had changed seemed to be that the porch flooring had been fixed and that the bottom floor was sporting a fresh layer of paint. He would make a quick check, just to make sure that Mary Lynette wasn't here, and then if she wasn't he would go find her, although, if she spent as much time with his sisters as she had before he left then she would no doubt be sat in their front room, curled up on the sofa chatting with everyone and stroking Tiggy's head.

He parked the car and got out before the engine was even off, taking the steps two at a time in his eagerness to get to his soul mate.

He decided he didn't have time to knock, so he just walked straight in, too excited to even worry about what they would think. They were his sisters, after all. And besides, they knew to expect him because he had called yesterday.

"What do you want?" Rowan hissed menacingly as she appeared from out of the shadows.

He stared at her for a second and then went on the defensive.

"What? What have I done?" Ash asked, startled by his sisters ferociousness. From Kestrel he may have expected it, but Rowan? "If you're mad about me not calling then I can expla-"

"Just get out. You're just the same as always"

_Okay, now I'm really confused__._ Ash thought to himself. But he could deal with this later.

"Look, can we sort this out later? I'm looking for Mary Lynette, is she here?"

"_Leave her alone_ Ash!" Rowans voice was shrill and he could see her fighting not to shout. "I honestly thought you'd changed. Fine, don't call us, but you could have called _her._ Or at least let her know! She's heartbroken because of you, you insensitive little…"

But Ash wasn't listening, because, stood in the hallway leading to the living room, was his soulmate.

"Mary Lynette!" He ran to her and in 3 steps had scooped her up in his arms and was hugging her tightly. She hugged him back for a second before pulling away, too soon.

"What?" he asked as she struggled in his arms, then Ash saw her tears and automatically reached down to cup her cheek. He hadn't held off the aging process in the last year so he had grown and was now a head taller than her, he bent down so that his face was level with hers.

"Mary Lynette, what's wrong?"

"Just get off me Ash" She pushed against his arms and he automatically let his arms drop, taking his hand away from her face.

"Mary Lynette?" he tried again, puzzled by her strange reaction. "Look, If this is about not calling, I'm sorry but I can explain. I did it for your own good, It's just…God I've missed you"

He tried pulling her into his arms again but she stepped away, shaking her head, tears spilling over as he let his arms fall to his sides again, wounded. His heart gave an uncomfortable squeeze in his chest.

"Just leave me _alone_ Ash" she choked on a sob and turned to leave. He felt as though someone was squeezing his heart, pulling it apart inside his chest. What had he done?

"No, wait!" Ash grabbed for her hand gently, without thinking, desperate for answers. "Mare, what's wrong?"

Mary Lynette turned back to him, eyes flashing at the old nickname.

"Just _go_."

"No. Not until you tell me what's wrong. Come on, I can't stand to see you upset…"

Mary Lynette tried to jerk her wrist away from his hand as he spoke, tears making streams down her cheeks as she tried to get free.

"Just- Just…" she started sobbing and Ash pulled her shaking frame into his arms, rubbing her back and making shushing sounds into her hair. He shot a look at his sister and was shocked to see Rowan glaring back at him.

"Ash! Just, please, just let go. I _hate_ you." Mary Lynette was shoving against his chest again, now that she had composed herself slightly, tears still streaming down her face, voice horse from crying.

Ash let his arms drop for a third time and just let Mary Lynette turn away, defeated.

"Why?" Ash asked quietly as she turned away from him.

"You know why" she whispered back fiercely.

"Mare, why are you doing this? I- I love you. Please, I haven't done anything, why are you-" he tried reaching for her hand again but she jerked away. It broke Ash's heart to see her cry but she looked more beautiful now than he ever remembered; lips darker than he had ever seen them against skin the colour of cream, hair curling softly around her face. He was more in love with her than he ever thought possible.

"Go _away_ Ash! Go back to the partying and the girls. I never want to see you again" she sobbed, before running from the room. Ash tried to go after her but Rowan stopped him, hissing as she blocked the doorway with her body.

"Are you happy now? Just get out"

Ash glared at her, his patience run thin by the accusations that no-one would explain to him.

"Why will no-one explain to me what's going on?!" he half shouted, aware from the corner of his eye of Jade appearing from the direction of the living room, hand entwined with Marks.

"Just leave Ash" But it wasn't Jade who spoke, it was Kestrel, and her voice was quiet and frightening.

"No! Not until someone explains to me what it is that I'm supposed to have done!"

"You _know _what you've done Ash. And Mary Lynette wants nothing to do with you." Kestrels voice was cold and protective.

"Now. Get. Out." Rowan all but growled, shoving her brother towards the door.

"Fine. But I'm coming back in the morning to find out what's going on."

"Don't bother. She doesn't want anything to do with you"

Rowan slammed the door as soon as Ash was over the threshold, making the glass panels shake.

Ash stood for a moment, wondering at his previously peaceful sisters ferocity, then he made his way back to his car and drove. Driving always helped him think. The old him probably wouldn't have walked away, he would probably have kicked up a fuss, or would have snuck past his sisters to find Mary Lynette and made her explain. But he found that he was suddenly exhausted, and besides, if Mary Lynette didn't want to talk to him, he wasn't going to make her. He couldn't stand to see her cry and it killed him to think that he was the cause for all those tears.

As the clock in the dashboard signaled that it was early morning, Ash was still driving, still thinking. He pulled into a lay-by at the side of a deserted road a few miles out of Briar Creek, and rested his head in his hands. The only conclusion he had been able to come to was that one of his sisters had told Mary Lynette some of the things he had done in the past, the very things he had set out to make up for, the reason he had left Mary Lynette in the first place. Or maybe she had just realized that she could do better than a monster like him.

Ash felt moisture beading in the corners of his eyes and wiped a hand furiously across his face, astounded that he was actually crying. As far back as he could remember he had _never _cried. But now he was, over Mary Lynette, the soulmate that didn't want him. His chest felt tight, but not in the way that vampires felt when they didn't get blood, he felt asphyxiated in a whole different way, like he was drowning in black, invisible water.

When the tears eventually stopped Ash finally managed to find the will to search for sleep. It was too uncomfortable in his small car, he couldn't stretch out properly. So he collected the blanket from the boot of his car, spread it on the dry grass beside his car, and drifted to sleep gazing at the stars, into dreams where he was with Mary Lynette, and she still loved him, and everyone was happy, interrupted often by nightmares of a life without love, without Mary Lynette, where he could never be truly happy without her in his life, in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Mary Lynette hadn't slept properly in weeks. She had drifted in and out of unconsciousness all night, just as infrequently as the tears had come. She had thought maybe she would sleep better in different surroundings, with Rowan or Jade or maybe even Kestrel in the same room, but she was wrong.

She woke early the next morning, before everyone else was up, to a sleeping house, quiet, almost peaceful, but empty.

She looked over at Rowan, who was sharing the guest room with her tonight. For some reason she hadn't wanted Mary Lynette to be alone, but Mary Lynette had been grateful for the company, for the soothing words of her sister whenever she felt that the pain would break her.

She padded through the empty house, through the kitchen, deciding she wasn't hungry, and into the back yard, sitting on the porch, as she had three nights ago, and watched the sunrise, hoping that it would bring a day better than yesterday, and praying that everything would seem better in the sunlight of a new day.

~oOo~

Ash was woken by the sound of a car approaching him, he sat up, wondering where he was for a second before he remembered. The sunlight was streaming down on him and he sighed, only then realizing that the car had stopped.

He stood up quickly, and immediately recognized the figure walking towards him, walking away from the mini parked behind his own car, in which Mark was sat.

"Jade?" Ash was reluctant to speak to his sister, although she had had no part in kicking him out of the house the night before, he was sure that she would not approve of him if Mary Lynette didn't. They were best friends, or at least they had been before he'd left.

"Ash." Jade nodded before gracefully slapping him across the face.

Ash recoiled, of course it hadn't actually hurt him, but his pride had been stung.

Before he could speak Jade spoke "That was for not calling Mary Lynette, no matter what's happening there really is no excuse. She's been worried sick."

She took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'm sorry about last night, they shouldn't have kicked you out without explaining. I mean, I didn't think that you deserved an explanation at first either, but then I sensed your mind and I knew something wasn't right." She gave a small, guilty smile when she informed him that she had read his mind, knowing that he knew that they had all promised not to use their powers in a bid to fit in.

"Oh" was all Ash could say, he must have been so distracted last night that he didn't even notice Jade in his head. "So can you _please_ explain to me why Mary Lynette hates me now, I mean, I know it's probably because of all the stuff I did before but the only reason I left was so that I could put it right before I could be with her"

"Ash, Mary Lynette knows about what you were doing in Vegas. She overheard Rowan and Kestrel arguing about it, Kestrel was trying to convince Rowan that you were just the same as you had been before, that she'd heard that you were with a new girl every week. She was trying to protect Mary Lynette, trying to convince Rowan that it was better for her not to be involved with you"

"That's Mary Lynette's choice." Ash growled, furious that his sisters were so intent on keeping him and Mary Lynette apart. "And besides, there was a reason that I was with those girls. Will found out you were here, I managed to convince him that the Elders knew about it and were okay with it but he got suspicious of me. So before I could come back I had to convince Will that I was back to my old self, the girls, the partying, everything." Ash sighed, running his hands through his already messy hair.

"I never called because it would have put you all in danger, Mary Lynette especially, you never know, Will might have traced the call and if he ever found out…" Ash couldn't finish his sentence, just the thought of it caused him pain.

"It all makes sense now!" Jade was grinning "See, I told Mark that you had changed for the better." She was tugging on his hand "Come on, we've got to get back and explain"

Ash let go of her hand. "But what about all the things I've done before, before I met Mary Lynette?"

"She doesn't care, she never did. She never wanted you to leave, Ash, she missed you like crazy." She paused "Actually we all did. Now come on!"

"I can't just leave my car, I'll meet you back there" Ash turned towards his car as his sister skipped back to hers. Feeling higher than he ever had before, now that he knew that Mary Lynette might forgive him. The prospect of a future with Mary Lynette, a future he had given up on mere hours before, spread out before him. He smiled as he started his engine.

"Race you there!" he called out the window as he passed Jade and Mark, letting the wind mess his hair. He was going to go explain to Mary Lynette, and she would forgive him. He grinned as he stepped on the gas.

He sped through the town, taking in his surroundings, glad to finally be back after such a long time. As quiet and sleepy as the town may be, it was home.

As he passed the gas station a silver Mercedes caught his eye, and what he saw next caused his blood to run cold. Will, getting into the silver car, sunglasses perched beneath unruly hair. Ash slowed, hoping that Will hadn't noticed him, looking behind him and thanking God that Jade and Mark seemed to have taken a different route home.

Will drove off and Ash followed, trying to be inconspicuous, realizing that they were headed, in a roundabout way, towards the woods at the back of his Aunts farmhouse.

_Please,__** please**__ don't let him see Mary Lynette with any of my sisters._ Ash thought to himself, still not entirely sure why he was following Will.

He was still contemplating whether or not to just confront Will, as it was obvious he was following him now, when Will pulled over into the forest and got out. Ash pulled over where he was, at the side of the road a little way away from Will, and got out, silently following after the vampire.

~oOo~

Mark pulled into the driveway and shot Jade and Rowan a look, they had picked Rowan up, upon her request, on their way through town, they had had to double back a bit, which meant that Ash should have arrived ahead of them.

"Where's Ash?" Rowan asked, seeming to voice everyone's thoughts. Jade had already explained to her what was going on, at first she had been skeptical but had reluctantly agreed that it did make sense.

"I'm not sure, maybe he parked somewhere else and we just missed his car" Jade herself didn't sound sure so she didn't say more because she knew she wasn't convincing anyone. "Let's go find Mary Lynette and Kestrel, maybe they've seen him".

They all made their way through the house, checking the rooms as they went, and eventually found Kestrel and Mary Lynette enjoying the sunshine in the back garden.

"Hey" Jade bounced over to Mary Lynette as Rowan appraised her with worried eyes, Mary Lynette was pale, with dark rings under her eyes as though she hadn't slept in weeks, which Rowan suspected was exactly the case. But that wasn't the worst of it, the worst thing was that the fiery light and persistence that everyone loved about her was gone from her eyes. Instead there was a blank numbness.

"Have either of you guys seen Ash?" Rowan suppressed a wince at Jades forwardness and then mentally rolled her eyes towards her sister. Rowan watched as Mary Lynette not-so-subtly sucked in a breath at the sound of her brothers name and decided to do some damage control.

"Listen, Mary Lynette, there's something we need to explain" Rowan tried to make her voice sound as comforting as possible.

Jade explained, whilst Mary Lynette listened in silence.

"And I sensed his mind whilst he was explaining, he was telling the truth, it was all to protect you" Jade smiled warmly at her, then seemed to realize something.

"Speaking of Ash, shouldn't he be here by now?" Rowan looked over at Jade and then towards Mary Lynette, both wore expressions of concern. It had taken a good 10 minutes to explain and convince Mary Lynette and Kestrel that Ash was innocent, and in that time he should have arrived by now.

"Shouldn't we go look for him" Mark, who had been quiet all through the explanation, finally spoke up.

"He'll be fine" Kestrel said almost icily "he probably just got lost, he'll find his way back somehow"

"I don't know, he knew how to get here yesterday" Jade reminded her.

"I'm going to go look for him" Mary Lynette stood "I owe him so much more than an apology"

Rowan smiled at her, noticing how Mary Lynette's eyes were sparkling again.

"I'll come with you" she said, just as Jade and Mark stood too.

Everyone looked towards Kestrel, who stood too, whilst mumbling something that sounded like 'overreaction' under her breath.

"Someone had better stay here, just incase he comes back. Besides, there's not enough room in the car for me" her eyes seemed to grow darker for a second and as the others walked away she called after them. "Be careful"

"Always am" Jade called back, swinging her and Marks entwined hands between them as she skipped to the car.

"Honestly Jade, what are you like?" Rowan rolled her eyes.

"It's what living in Briar Creek does to you I guess. Even search parties start seeming like fun in a place as boring as this" Mark grinned at his girlfriend and kissed the top of her head to show her that he didn't mean it as an insult.

Rowan and Mary Lynette sat in the front as Mark and Jade climbed in the back, and Mary Lynette started the car.

"Where to first?" she asked as she pulled out of the driveway.

"Maybe we should just check the roads around here, he might have taken a wrong turn or his car might have broken down. I'm pretty sure he'd be able to find his way back from the town"

Mary Lynette nodded and started swiftly guiding the car along the roads around the sisters' farmhouse.


	4. Chapter 4

Ash had just decided to confront Will when he turned around.

"Come on, Ash. Come out from behind there"

They were stood a little way into the forest, far enough that Ash couldn't see the road and that the light came down in shafts through the canopy of the trees. There was a ramshackle barn, weeds spreading from the floor to the roof, which Ash walked around to follow Will's voice.

"What are you doing here Will?" his voice was bleak and fierce.

"Well hello to you too" he laughed a sarcastic chuckle and then continued. "I could ask you the same question, although…" he paused, placing his finger to his chin in a mock thinking pose "I have a pretty good idea"

"Where I go and what I do has nothing to do with you" Ash growled, getting more and more irritated by the second.

"No, you're right, it doesn't. But it does have something to do with the elders…" He trailed off suggestively.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Ash lied fiercely.

"Of course not" Will made his voice sound bored as he feigned nonchalance, examining his nails. "So I'll spell it out to you" he raised his eyes to meet Ash's.

"Either you kill the girl, or I will"

"What? What girl?" Ash fought to keep his voice calm.

"You know exactly 'what girl'. Don't mess with me Ash, I heard what you said to you're sister, and it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. The only reason I'm not going to kill you is that we go back a long way"

"Get lost Will" Ash spat, turning to leave.

"You really don't want to walk away from me Ash. I might just assume that you haven't got it in you to kill the girl. Like you couldn't kill you're sisters. And then I'm afraid I'd have to take matters into my own hands" As Ash turned to look Will in the eye Will grinned.

Ash's blood boiled, seeing someone talk so casually about the death of the girl he loved. Ash launched himself across the small space between them and they fell hard, scrabbling on the floor, each of them kicking and hitting any of the other they could find.

~oOo~

"Hey, look, just ahead, its Ash's car"

Rowan was leaning forward, squinting at the black car by the side of the road up ahead of them.

"Why do you reckon he's out here?" Mary Lynette asked her, meeting Jades confused gaze in the wing mirror.

Rowan shrugged "No idea, maybe he decided to go on a last minute hunting trip" Even Mary Lynette could tell that Rowan didn't believe the words coming out of her mouth.

"Come on" even as Jade spoke Mary Lynette was out of the car, Rowan close behind her, walking confidently towards the cars.

"Well he's not in there" Jade said, cupping her hand against the glass and peering in.

"Who's car is that?" Mark pointed to the lay-by ahead of them.

"I don't know" Rowan started towards the car and Mary Lynette kept pace.

"I don't think it belongs to anyone in town" Mary Lynette put in, trying to find something constructive to say about the situation. She could feel the panic beginning to build.

"Hmmm. Maybe they went in there" Jade turned towards the forest, slowly edging in before stopping.

"They?" Rowan asked, raising an eyebrow as she followed after Mary Lynette who had already made her way a little way down the path.

"Well, you know. Ash and whoever that car belongs to" Jade told Rowan as she and Mark followed behind her.

Rowan rolled her eyes but kept quiet as she followed Mary Lynette deeper into the forest.

~oOo~

Ash was wrestling with Will, surprised at how hard his punches were, and trying to figure out what to do next. He had no choice, he had to kill him. If he didn't Will would kill him, or Mary Lynette, or both. And then everyone was in danger. And even if Ash went to get back-up from his sisters, Will could get to one of them first. Or even Mary Lynette.

Ash rolled off Will and stood up, sprinting over to the barn and wrenching the door open, trying to find any sharp pieces of wood. He searched the floor as he ran into the barn and was about to dive for a piece of wood when something knocked into him from behind.

He fell to the floor with Will on top of him, both were scrabbling, punching, kicking, anything, despite the fact that it wouldn't do the other any real harm.

Ash launched himself off the floor again at the next chance he had, grabbed the broken plank of wood and sprinted as fast as he could out the door; wanting to get as far away from all that wood as possible.

~oOo~

They followed the only path a fair way into the forest, the only light was now coming from the canopy.

"You know what guys, maybe we should just go back to the house and wait for him there" Jade was looking around cautiously, gripping Marks hand tight in hers. "It's just I've got a really bad feeling about this"

If Mary Lynette's mind hadn't been made up before, it was now; if Jade had a bad feeling about the forest and Ash was most likely in that same forest then she wanted to find him as fast as possible.

"Come on Jade, It'll be fine" Mary Lynette carried on ahead without waiting to see if they followed.

They walked in silence, the only sounds were that of the forest, and eventually came to a rotting barn, there were huge gaping holes in the roof and sides where the wood had rotted through completely.

Mary Lynette turned to look for the others just as Rowan stepped through the tree's and at exactly the same time that they heard a shout from the other side of the barn.

"Come on then! Enforce your precious laws! But before you get to her, you've got to go through _me_ first!"

Ash. Mary Lynette's heart skipped a beat and she stepped towards his voice without thinking. She only stopped to think about why he would be saying such things when Rowan grabbed her wrist to restrain her.

Mary Lynette's eyes caught Rowans as another voice came from the other side of the barn.

"Wow" a dark chuckle "Who would've thought! Ash, the golden boy of the lamia, so much _better_ than everyone else" the other boys voice was sarcastic and filled with abhorrence, "everything a vampire _should_ be."

Mary Lynette edged around the side of the rotting barn, back flat against the wood.

What she saw made her heart try and jump out of her chest.

There were two people in the clearing, each circling and neither taking their eyes of the other, and one of course, was Ash; Glorious as ever, even more handsome than last year. Of course Mary Lynette had noticed before, but she had been trying to ignore her feelings by telling herself she was unwanted, that she should hate him, and she had been distracted by other things.

Ash's honey-blonde hair was windswept and yet still looked perfect, his eyes were a dark red, almost black, which Mary Lynette guessed meant hate, or violence.

Because they were both holding pointed pieces of wood as though they were weapons.

"Will" Rowan hissed under her breath as Mary Lynette examined the dark haired vampire that was half turned away from her. He looked tall, almost as tall as Ash, and as Rowan whispered the name something stirred in her memory.

"Will?" She whispered towards Rowan.

"Like Quinn, but worse" Rowan breathed behind her, narrowing her eyes at the vampire in question. Quinn had been the vampire obsessed with the Night World's laws, the vampire that had wanted Ash's sisters dead for running away from arranged marriages. How could Will be _worse_?

Will kept talking "The _great_ Ash Redfern, betraying the secrets of the Night World, and falling in love! And with vermin!"

Ash's eyes flashed at the insult. Mary Lynette's whole analysis had only taken a few seconds, but as she watched, Will broke his gaze, only for a second, but it was enough. In the second that Will's eyes met Mary Lynette's, Ash dove forward and made to stake the wood into Will's chest, but the dark-haired vampire dived at the last moment, only catching the edge of the wood, which slashed through his neck, but not deep enough. Ash rolled and stood up, now facing towards the barn, and froze, obviously seeing Mary Lynette and Rowan hiding in the shadows.

Mary Lynette stared back for a second before coming to her senses "Ash!" she yelled as Will made a dive for him, Ash dived and narrowly missed being staked in the stomach.

Rowan pulled Mary Lynette back as soon as the words had left her mouth.

"What are you crazy? Do you want Will to know we're here?"

"He could have staked Ash, and besides, he already saw me" Mary Lynette hissed back, struggling against the vampires arms. "Let go!"

Rowan let go slowly, still keeping her wrist within grabbing distance "Just don't do anything stupid" Jade hissed from behind Rowan.

Mary Lynette turned around again to watch the fight, heart thumping in her chest as she saw Ash get up, wiping blood off his cheek.

"hmmm, seems your little humans more stupid than I thought"

"Leave her out of this" Ash growled, tensing as if to pounce.

"Oh, but I cant" Will grinned and Mary Lynette felt sick, he was enjoying it.

"Because you see, she knows too much" he stated matter-of-factly, looking directly at Mary Lynette. Ash took his chance and lunged but Will was ready, he dived to the side. And then, as Ash fell to the floor Will sprung forward, lithe as a cat, and threw the stake into Ash's chest, before he had even hit the floor. Mary Lynette heard screaming and realized after a second of doubt that it was hers.

"No!" she half sobbed, whilst, as if in slow motion, Ash let out a gust of breath with a half choke, crumpling sideways and rolling onto his back, hands shaking and hovering uselessly above his chest. Mary Lynette screamed again as he hit the floor, running to him, vaguely aware of hands reaching for her from behind but not making contact, not caring that there was a dangerous vampire intent on killing her just a few feet away. She reached Ash as she heard a guttural sound, something between a groan and a scream. She didn't even glance up, the only thing she cared about was Ash.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ash, Ash" she was half whispering through her tears, although she wasn't sure why, as she knelt beside him.

"Come on Ash. Please. Come on, please. Ash. Ash!" she leant over him, stroking his cheek with her fingers as she knelt on the damp ground. The tears threatened to drown her. And there was so much blood! Soaking through his shirt, staining it a deep crimson.

And then Ash's eyelashes fluttered against his cheek, and she was looking into two pools of the darkest sapphire. He winced, before raising his hand to hold Mary Lynette's wrist, trying to sit up but crying out in pain when he did. She was shocked to see him moving but the sound still tore through her and she automatically reached for him.

"What is it? Ash? How can you-" she gasped, the stake, which she had automatically assumed went into Ash's chest, was protruding from his shoulder.

"Ash, what should I do?" She asked quietly, still cradling his face in one hand with her other on his neck, trying to comfort him and feeling utterly useless and weak.

"Mare? I love you. I'm so sorry." Ash's voice was weak with pain, he smiled feebly, before twining his fingers lovingly around her hand and bringing it to his lips.

"I love you too. Ash, don't you dare give up. Come on, keep fighting, what should I do? Ash?" Mary Lynette was near hysterics, desperate, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Rowan, Jade and Mark behind her.

"What should I do?" She repeated, but directing it towards Rowan whilst not being able to keep her eyes from Ash's pained, glorious face for long. He held one of her hands weakly in his whilst her other fluttered helplessly around him, not sure of what to do.

"We have to take it out" Rowan said bleakly.

Mary Lynette looked up sharply, then straight back to Ash as his hand tightened feebly on hers.

He winced, taking in a deep gasp of air.

"We haven't got any choice, otherwise its going to kill him" Rowan knelt on Ash's other side, ordering Jade and Mark to hold Ash's shoulders still. She ripped the t-shirt away from Ash's chest so that it wouldn't get in the way and readied herself. Then she wrapped her hand around the half of the stake that was protruding from the middle of her brothers shoulder and pulled.

Ash's cry of agony ripped through Mary Lynette as though it were her own. She leant over him as Ash gripped her hand almost painfully tight.

"Ash, Come on." Mary Lynette placed her free hand along his cheek again, willing him to open his eyes as Rowan pulled again and Ash gasped. He looked pale, paler than normal, worryingly ill, he had deep shadows under his eyes that had only appeared in the last few minutes and he looked sick in every sense of the word. Even his breathing was shallow.

"Ash, I know you can do this. You have to." Mary Lynette whispered, her loves face blurring through her tears, she reached her hand up to wipe them away and then replaced it on his cheek. "Come on Ash, I-I need you...Ash I love you." Ash opened his eyes and gazed into hers weakly and whispered back, "I Love you too Mary Lynette, more than anything" the use of her full name scared her. She didn't know what she would do without him, and she was suddenly overwhelmed with the sudden sense of panic, stronger than before. It was blocking her throat, choking her. What would she do without Ash? He may not have been around for the last year but at least he had been alive. A world without Ash seemed impossible.

Rowan heaved against the wood again and Mary Lynette wondered for a second why it wasn't moving if Rowan was so ridiculously strong, before trying to pull herself together and returning her gaze to Ash. Jade had Ash's other hand and as Rowan pulled at the stake, Ash's back arched and he squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth to keep from screaming, almost in a sitting position. Mark supported Ash's back as Rowan pulled again, and Ash buried his face in Mary Lynette's neck as she instantly wrapped one arm around his back, supporting his weight to help Rowans efforts, and smoothed his hair with the other, shushing him. He squeezed her shoulder as his sister still tugged against the wood embedded in his shoulder, and Mary Lynette heard a muffled cry next to her ear, so soft that it sounded as though Ash were trying to hold it in.

"shhh, Ash, I love you. It'll be okay. Come on, hang in there" she whispered in his ear.

Finally, with one last sharp tug, the stake was out, and Ash collapsed against Mary Lynette, breathing heavily.

"I love you. I'm sorry, I love you" Mary Lynette didn't realize she was still crying until she felt the tears drop down her chin. She clung to Ash, burying her face in his good shoulder and kissing his neck and shoulder over and over again as he whispered to her that he loved her in a soft hushed voice. Mary Lynette pulled back, examining Ash's face, and was alarmed to see that he still looked ill, was still grimacing.

"What's wrong?" she whispered only to him, stroking his cheek with her fingertips again, but Rowan answered.

"We're not in the clear yet" she sounded as exhausted as her brother looked and Mary Lynette felt "He lost a lot of blood, he needs to feed, I'll go find him something"

"Wait!" Rowan turned back as Mary Lynette called after her "Wouldn't it be better for him to have human blood?"

Rowan examined her for a second, watched the way her eyes flickered back to Ash, who was still clinging to her shoulders, head against her neck.

"Well, yes, but-"

"Then use mine" Mary Lynette interrupted "Come on, Rowan, we don't have time for anything else"

Rowan sighed, then turned back "Fine" she admitted, knowing she wouldn't win the argument and any hesitation would cost precious seconds for her brother.

"Come on Ash." Mary Lynette helped him into a sitting position and he opened his eyes blearily. He looked worse than he had before. She swept her hair away from her neck and turned her head.

"No, Mare, I can't" his voice was weak but she could tell he was trying to sound fierce.

"You have to, please Ash. This is what you need."

"'s not fair" he mumbled against her neck.

"Please Ash. You have to, I need you" she clung to him as she felt his lips brush shakily against her neck, then the prick of his teeth against her skin, and the strange content feeling she had last year washed over her.

She found his mind as he placed his hand on the back of her neck, bracing himself against the ground with his other.

_**I love you. Mary Lynette, I'm so sorry. I love you.**_

_You haven't done anything wrong. Jade explained. _I'm_ sorry. So, so sorry. I should never have doubted you…I love you. I'm so glad you came back._

_**Me too. **_

At some point Ash shifted her so that Mary Lynette's head was resting against his shoulder, his mouth never leaving her neck. She inhaled, savouring his scent, and felt a hint of amusement come from his mind. Mary Lynette linked her hands around his neck and he broke away.

"I'm sorry" he said aloud "I shouldn't have taken so much" He looked sheepish, but to Mary Lynette's relief, returned to the old him.

"I love you" was all Mary Lynette said, pressing her lips to his in a desperate kiss, not caring that a faint taste of blood lingered on his lips, or that his teeth were still returning to normal. He responded in turn, pouring in all his desire and fear of losing her and translating it through his lips, to her, gripping the back of her head gently with one hand and her waist with the other. They broke apart when someone cleared their throat.

"Feeling better?" Jade grinned at her brother as he stood up and pulled Mary Lynette with him. "You two go home, we can take care of things here" Rowan said gently.

Mary Lynette caught a glimpse of a corpse, dried out and mangled beyond recognition, a stake through its chest, and understood what Rowan had just said, realizing that it must be Quinn. She felt sick and felt herself grown faint, probably from the loss of blood, she thought distantly. Ash caught her as she started to fall, sweeping her up easily into his arms, his strength regained.

"You're shoulder?" Mary Lynette asked incredulously, softly touching the angry red mark where the stake had been only minutes before and trying not to touch the blood that was drying around it.

"healed, almost." He smiled beautifully and Mary Lynette felt her breathing hitch. "Thanks to you, mostly" he nuzzled her neck where he had bitten her and placed a kiss on the healing marks.

"I can walk on my own, you know" She told him quietly, watching over his shoulder as Rowan, Jade and Mark cleared up the clearing as Ash walked away.

"mmm, no, you cant. I don't want you to" Ash replied childishly, holding her even closer to his chest, Mary Lynette kissed his bare shoulder, over the scar that was forming, and rested her head against his neck.

Ash put her down on the passenger side to his car when they eventually reached the edge of the clearing, but she just stared at him incredulously.

"Fine then" Ash sighed after a second "You drive, but I'm fine, honest"

"You need to focus on healing" Mary Lynette told him as he got in the car and took her hand automatically.

They sat in silence as she drove, when they were halfway back Mary Lynette started to feel drowsy and had to focus to keep her eyes on the road ahead, the relief of Ash being okay, coupled with his warm hand steadily rubbing soothing circles on hers made her want to go to sleep there and then.

"Mary Lynette, pull over" Ash said quietly, she looked over at him and realized that he must have noticed her lack of concentration.

"Come on sweetheart" he kissed her hand as she pulled over "Let me drive, you can sleep"

"no, Ash. You have to rest your shoulder..." Mary Lynette trailed off as a huge yawn racked her body.

"No, I don't. Besides, I would have to worry about more than my shoulder if I let you drive" He teased lightly, giddy with the relief that they were both okay as he slid her across his lap and into the passenger seat as he slid into the drivers seat.

"Hmmm, but its only late afternoon" Mary Lynette mumbled, eyes already closed, leaning against Ash when he put his arm around her, chuckling. She felt her eyelids drift closed as Ash's scent and warmth enveloped her.


	6. Chapter 6

Once they were home Ash carried Mary Lynette's sleeping form easily through the door of his sisters house, shutting it softly behind him before gazing tenderly at his love, asleep in his arms. He felt whole, complete and more content than he ever had.

Kestrel appeared from the back door and was about to drown him in questions when Ash raised a finger to his lips in a 'be quiet' motion. She nodded and whispered "Is everyone okay? What happened?" then she took in his bloodied scarred shoulder "Oh my God, Ash! What happened to you?"

"I'm fine, Everyone's fine" Ash whispered back, shifting Mary Lynette's weight as she stirred in her sleep "Can you wait for Rowan and Jade to explain when they get back, I'm exhausted."

Kestrel just nodded, watching him carefully as he carried Mary Lynette upstairs

He took her to the one spare guestroom and laid her on the bed on top of the duvet, kissing her forehead softly before quietly making his way back down the stairs, not wanting to wake Mary Lynette.

He collected a set of clean clothes from his car and showered, washing away the blood and grime from his body. He stepped out of the bathroom, throwing his bloodied jeans in the trash before digging a blanket out of the linen cupboard and making his way back upstairs, spreading himself out on the floor beside where Mary Lynette was sleeping on the bed. He left the room again, in search of a pillow when there was a soft sob from behind him. He was back in the doorway in a heartbeat, looking in to see Mary Lynette sat on the bed, face in her hands.

She looked up as Ash entered the room, comprehension flickering on her face as she launched herself across the room and into Ash's arms.

"Ash!"

"I'm here, sweetheart. What's wrong?" he caught her and held her as close to him as he could as she rested her chin on his shoulder, having to stand on her tiptoes to do so. Her heart jumped at the nickname, whilst somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered when bad Ash Redfern had gotten so soft, not that she was complaining.

"It's nothing, just me being stupid." He looked into her eyes and a silent moment of communication passed between them, she could see in his eyes that he knew she was hiding something.

"I had a bad dream, that's all." She sighed "And then I woke up, and you weren't there, and I- I guess it scared me that's all." she lowered her eyes and Ash reached down and placed a finger under her chin, pulling her face back up to his.

"I'm here, and I'm okay, and I'm staying" she smiled brightly as he wiped her tears away from her cheeks with his lips, silently wondering at how much he had changed in the last year. He was no longer the cocky chauvinistic person he had been before, maybe it was being apart from his soul mate that had caused the change, or maybe it was the little too close for comfort near-death experience.

"Thank you" she leant up to press her lips to his and the kiss was tender and warm.

"Come on, you look exhausted. Back to bed" he picked her up in his arms again and she rolled her eyes. He set her back down on the bed but when he made to pull away she kept hold of his shirt collar.

"Stay with me, please" her eyes were pleading and Ash could easily read the terror in them.

"If you insist" he whispered in her ear, grinning as he lay next to her wrapping his arms around her.

She drowsily snuggled into his chest, curling up and fitting her body shape to his. He smiled contently before drifting off to sleep.

After they had buried Quinn's body with their aunts and cleared the clearing they headed home. Rowan entered the house quietly, listening for any sign of where Ash or Mary Lynette were. After a quick exploration of the house she found them sleeping soundly in the guest room, smiling as she saw how gently Ash held her, amazed and delighted at the transformation he seemed to have undergone.

She left them and went quietly downstairs. "Hey" she said as she walked into the living room where Jade and Mark had been explaining to Kestrel, not being able to take the grin off her face.

"What's got into you?" Jade asked smiling, glad to see her sister happy as she had been so worried about Mary Lynette and Ash she hadn't seemed to smile in months.

"Just come look" they all watched her curiously as she lead the way out of the room, putting her finger to her lips in the same motion Ash had used before, to make them be quiet.

They tiptoed upstairs and stood behind Rowan as she opened to guest room door, revealing Ash and Mary Lynette, her head on his chest and his arms around her, both sleeping peacefully.

"Awh!" Jade exclaimed in whispers, grinning at her sister "I'm so glad she's happy. They're so cute!" Kestrel rolled her eyes at her ever-enthusiastic sister. Then turned to Rowan.

"I'm sorry, I guess I was wrong, he has changed."

Ash was woken from his peaceful dreams by a steady hum that suddenly cut off. He rolled onto his back, keeping his right arm around Mary Lynette as she slept, putting a hand up to his face and rubbing his eyes blearily. As he dropped his hand he saw his sisters in the doorway and bolted upright into a sitting position, falling off the edge of the narrow bed in the process and hitting his head on the wooden bedside table as he went.

"Ash?" came a confused voice from the bed, Mary Lynette, who had been woken by Ash's sudden movement of his arm and his curses as he hit the floor, propped herself up on her elbows to see Ash, sprawled across the floor clutching his head. She leant over the edge of the bed to check that he was okay when she saw figures in the doorway. She jumped, letting out a squeak of surprise as she saw Rowan, Jade, Kestrel and Mark all doubled over laughing, falling over the edge and landing straight in Ash's lap.

"Your face!" Kestrel exclaimed, pointing towards her brother, an evil glint in her eye.

Ash sat up, still rubbing his forehead, and glared at his sisters, wrapping his arms around Mary-Lynette's waist as he sat up and pressed her back to his chest. He watched as Mary-Lynette's cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink; like sunrise against rose petals, and kissed the back of her neck softly.

However his attention was drawn away from his soulmate when his sisters steady giggles came from the door.

Ash sighed, getting up before helping Mary-Lynette to her feet.

"What are you all looking at?" His voice was amusement tinted with annoyance.

"Are we really that interesting?" Mary-Lynette chimed in, staring pointedly at Jade, who was still giggling manically in the doorway, as she wrapped her arms around Ash's waist and leant her head towards his chest.

"Well, yeah" Mark grinned at his sister to let her known he was only teasing.

"Hmmm, well, shows over, you can all go away now" Ash turned from the door to loop his arm around Mary-Lynette's waist again, wanting to be as close to her as possible.

"Make me" Kestrels defiant voice came from behind the others.

"Hmmm, Mary-Lynette, I do think she has challenged us" Ash winked at her and she giggled.

"And seeing as they're not going to leave, lets give them their moneys-worth." He grinned at her, closing the distance between their mouths and gently moulding his lips to hers in a searing kiss. Mary-Lynette knew via the soulmate link what his plan was and decided to play along, besides, this was going to be fun.

Ash deepened the kiss, pulling Mary-Lynette closer to him by her waist as her arms reached up and her hands entwined themselves in her hair.

"Ewww! Ash!" Jade cried as Ash deepened the kiss further, running his tongue along Mary-Lynette's bottom lip as she opened her mouth to him.

Mary-Lynette smiled against Ash's mouth, imagining Kestrel rolling her eyes.

"Well, we're not planning on stopping anytime soon" Ash murmured against Mary-Lynette's lips. Mary Lynette could hear her own heavy breathing, before Ash deepened the kiss once more.

"Eurgh, seriously gross!" Mark exclaimed as they heard the door close and Mary-Lynette couldn't stop herself, she burst into giggles. Ash pulled away, grinning.

"You look so beautiful when you laugh" he smiled, kissing her on the lips again.

"hmmm, so do you" Mary-Lynette let go of his hair and brought her hands down so that they were at the back of his neck, her wrists wresting on his shoulders. She smiled against his lips- he was back with her, and she was in his arms- she was home.


End file.
